What is a Drop Zone in a house? And how do I Keep it Tidy?
A drop zone in a house is a place in where you can quickly and easily drop off items that need to be stored or put away. This can be a mudroom, entryway, or even a corner in your kitchen. Having a designated drop zone will help keep your home more organized and tidy, and a great way to hide messy items.
One of the most important things to consider when creating a drop zone is storage. You will need to have a place to put away items such as coats, hats, gloves, shoes, and umbrellas. If you have a family, you may also need to store sports equipment, school backpacks, and lunch boxes. Drop zones can be as simple or as elaborate as you need them to be. Another thing to consider is how you will keep your drop zone as an organized space. This may mean having a place for each family member to hang their coat or putting all of the shoes in a certain area.
Here are Some Tips to Help you Keep your Drop Zone Clean and Organized
-Make sure everyone in your family knows where the house drop zone is and what goes in it. This will prevent people from putting items in the drop zone that are not supposed to be there.
-Encourage everyone to hang up their coats and put away their shoes when they come in. This will encourage your family to get into the routine of cleaning up after themselves.
– Add baskets and designate a place for each family member to put their belongings. This will make it easier for everyone to get their items out of the drop zone, as their objects will not get mixed up with other people’s.
-Have a system for dealing with items that don’t belong in the drop zone such as putting them in a designated spot or putting them away immediately. This will prevent clutter from forming.
-Add a shoe tray to prevent your families’ shoes from lying all over the floor. Shoe storage is key for an organized drop zone!
-Make sure to empty the drop zone regularly so it doesn’t become cluttered.
-Add wall hooks to put up coats and jackets.
-Add upper or lower cabinets to your drop zone to keep items such as sports gear, wet boots, and lunch bags nice and tidy. Having a drop zone will stop all these items from being dumped on the kitchen counter!
-If you have some bare wall space, hanging artwork in your drop zone can spruce it up to make the room feel like more than just a dumping ground.
-Regularly clean out your drop zone by checking for out of season items that are still in there. This will clear up more storage space.
Where Should Drop Zones Be In Your House?
Your drop zone should be near the front door, or the entry door which most family members typically enter the house. This means your family don’t need to carry all their items such as wet clothing, and back packs, through your house to get to the drop zone.
What is the Difference Between a Drop Zone and a Mudroom?
A house drop zone is typically a smaller area where your family members can quickly and easily drop off items that need to be stored or put away. A mud room is a larger area that is usually located near the entry hall of a house and is used for storing items such as coats, hats, gloves, shoes, and umbrellas. Mudrooms often have storage cabinets or shelves where you can put away items.
Final Thoughts
Adding a drop zone in a house can result in a well organized home, and gives your family a proper place to store stuff. Some people use their laundry room as a drop zone, but only do this if you have a large space, as washing machines take up a lot of space. If you have a smaller space, ensure that a drop zone is the only purpose of the room. If you have the space to create a drop zone, I would definitely recommend it.